- A £50 million fund is being put in place to help automotive firms create jobs within the West Midland’s growing EV sector.
- The West Midlands Supplier Readiness and Transformation Fund will offer grants between £250,000 and £3 million from April 2026.
- The West Midlands Combined Authority hopes the programme will deliver over £100 million worth of investment.
What is the aim of this project?
The fund will be run for four years, as part of the Government’s DRIVE35 initiative, whose goal is to robust the UK’s supply chain as the country hopes to reach its goal of becoming net zero by 2050. England is hoping to become net zero, joining other countries who are working towards net zero goals.
West Midlands council has also received additional money from the government, as part of the plan to keep the West Midlands motor industry at the front of the shift to vehicle electrification. The West Midlands is currently home to approximately 1,000 automotive companies, hiring over 30,000 people, and it wants those strong figures to remain or increase in an electric vehicle future.
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, commented:
“We are the birthplace of the UK car industry, now more than 100 years after petrol cars first rolled off the Daimler production line in Coventry, we are powering towards a new era of electrification. Government is backing our flair for car building and innovation because it knows a successful West Midlands automotive sector is crucial to the wider British economy.”
